Good morning. Last time it was about someone entering a church,
and everyone speaking in tongues. But if all prophesy (it doesn’t say whether
everyone was prophesying at the same time, or one by one. Because of what
follows, I assume the latter), and an unbeliever or an ungifted man enters,
he’s convicted by all, he’s called to account to by all; the secrets of his
heart are disclosed (if it were all at the same time, it would be hard for him
to hear what was directed at himself); and so he will fall on his face and
worship God, declaring that God is certainly among you. So what should a church
service be like? When you assemble, each one has a Psalm, has a teaching, has a
revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for
edification. It sounds like Paul was expecting participation by everyone -
maybe not all in one service, but over time they would. That is totally unlike
today’s church services. Nowadays almost no one in the congregation
participates like Paul was talking about. Today everything is pretty much
scripted. Of course with church congregations as large as they are, it would be
impossible and confusing for everyone to participate like he’s talking about.
In my earliest days, I was a member of a house church, and almost anyone could
contribute something to the meeting. Father help this to be a good day for the
reader. Help him/her to see You at work everywhere.
Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me
Good morning. Paul then gives a list of a lot of things that he has gone through as an apostle. I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. There could be many people that you listen to either in church or through the Internet or other means; but there was only one person (as a general rule it was a person) that lead you to Christ. Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me. He was saying that just like a child imitates his or her father, they were to imitate him. He says that again seven chapters later. Since it is easy to forget some things about people we have not seen in a while, Paul says that he sent Timothy to them to remind them of his ways which are in Christ, just as he taught everywhere in every church. Some have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. I shall find ou...
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